Ingmar Bergman

[Stefen]

Virgin Spring next, son. That's the one that is being recommended the most.

[Gold Trumpet]

I'm not the biggest fan of The Virgin Spring. Bergman had a historical period in the 50s and 60s, but he never developed upon those traits very much when he transitioned to become a different filmmaker from the late 60s and on. I always find it weird that Bergman is kosher enough where people will talk about any of his films like they are interchangeable but when Bergman did start to change, he was either making new enemies or friends with his craft decisions. Persona is part of that development. He became a more personal filmmaker and reared his filmmaking around personal subjects. But, considering a film like Persona is structurally unique and alien to all of his other films, I would recommend The Passion of Anna as a close secondary type of film which is similar. It doesn't deal with dreams or style in such an overwhelming way, but it deals with a dark personal subject in an uncomfortable structural manner. The structure helps to lift up the themes of the story.

[P Heat]

I've seen Hour of the wolf, wild strawberries and Persona. Persona is outstanding!! and wild strawberries is my 2nd favorite. Hour of the wolf didn't get good till around the end  .

I was trying to figure out  which other Bergman film is somewhat similar to Persona and so far I'm thinking the magician is from the trailer i've seen the criterion site and reading the synopsis. @Gold trumpet so Passion of Anna you say is closest to the tone and structure of Persona?? it doesn't sound like it to me though from reading the plot.

BTW does anybody else wish Bergman shot his older films in 1.66 or something besides 1.37? i get tired of the pillar boxed sides on all of them =[

[Gold Trumpet]

All I say is the Passion of Anna has an uncomfortable structure and the uniqueness of the structure is meant to lift the themes in the story. In its own way, Persona does the same thing. As far as The Passion of Anna goes, I could be talking about a twisted kids film and it could apply to what I say there. Don't read too much into my words.

[Stefen]

the Virgin Spring was all kinds of Effed up. 

[ElPandaRoyal]

Great choice with The Virgin Spring. Hope you found it a good kind of Effed up. It's a masterpiece! Also, The Silence, another one of my favorites, has a weird fucking tone to it all. Plus, the creepy kid from Persona is there too. And of course Hour of the Wolf is essential, and fucked up in its own right. Kubrick and Lynch probably loved it too.

[Stefen]

I liked The Virgin Spring. I really liked the setting. I found the foster sister, the one who is ultimately responsible for her sisters rape and murder, to be the most moral character in the whole film.  At least she showed a bit of remorse for her actions and you could tell it was eating her up inside.

The rape and murder scene was pretty brutal. Especially how the sound cuts out. It was just so much more chilling having to use your imagination for what they were saying and the sounds being made.

The two Bergman films I've now seen are Persona and The Virgin Spring and I found both of them to be really scary films. Almost horror movies in a way. They're scary in a different way from each other, tho. Persona was frightening because of these two women having some sort of personality duel and where it would lead and The Virgin Spring was scary just for the whole religious aspects of it. I always find religion that believes in good AND evil to be really frightening for some reason.

I can't believe it took this long for me to discover how badass Bergman was. For some reason my idea of him was always very vanilla and boring. It couldn't be further from the truth I'm now realizing.

[Mr. Merrill Lehrl]

Naturally at this moment you're overloaded with Bergman, but dark and creepy are great feelings for watching Dreyer's Vampyr and Day of Wrath.

[P Heat]

I just went through watching 4 if Bergman's films

The Silence was my favorite of the 4. Through a Glass darkly and Seventh Seal follow after. I was kind of disappointed with the magician since the plot sounded really good to me but its still a descent film.
The Silence to me is the closest thing to Persona. It affected me in almost the same way, watching all its disturbing style scenes.

the experimental Bergman is fuckin awesome.

[ElPandaRoyal]

Haven't seen Through a Glass Darkly nor The Magician, even though I've always wanted to. Seems I'm gonna go with the Glass first. The Silence is, to me, right up there with Bergman's very best work, it's so dark and creepy and intense and filled with amazing perfomances and cinematography - Sven Nykvist is one of the best ever.

I just saw Mario Bava's "Lisa and the Devil" and some of it reminded me a lot of Bergman's "Hour of the Wolf" (creepy guests over dinner) which is another point in my opinion that "Hour of the Wolf" is, in many ways, one of the most influential movies ever: the tone of it, some of the scenes and shots remind me a lot of Kubrick, Lynch and many others.

[Alexandro]

Yeah, Hour of the Wolf is pretty neat.

Reading the massive Bergman book by Taschen is basically a humbling experience. This man worked and worked and worked for decades yet at the same time he managed to fulfill his personal life and be able to take long walks in the morning and travel and know places. But his work rhythm is almost impossible to conceive. Dozens of films with hundreds of stage productions and radio plays in between, everything from Shakespeare to Strindberg. Amazing.

[P Heat]

 Yes  ElPandaRoyal The Silence is one of his best and imo its not mentioned as much as it should be. I saw Winter Light last night, man is it such a personal depressing movie.... but i kind of liked it. The pace of it was very important which i why its not that bad.

You can't go wrong with Through a Glass Darkly. Its very minimal like The Silence and great performances.

To be honest I really don't like much of the first half of Hour of the Wolf. It was boring and a shitty story to me but man after that first half the pace and atmosphere build up to great creepiness. Maybe I need to watch it again to see if i change my mind about the first half.

[ElPandaRoyal]

I think it's amazing throughout - that moment when Max Von Sydow is looking at the watch waiting for a minute to pass is just so uncomfortable and hostile to me.

SPOILERS MAYBE, I DUNNO:
And then there's that scene with the kid when he's fishing... Bloody fucking hell, scariest moment ever in film to me...

[Tortuga]

Hour Of The Wolf was the first Bergman I ever saw. And while it remains one of my favourites of his, I think it was The Rite that got me hooked. It felt so rebellious and "evil, but in a good way". Sort of like a reversed Kafka story, where primitive magic subverts bureaucracy.

I never miss a chance to catch some Bergman on big screen.

[Reel]

I think I'm gonna check out Hour of the wolf. I've heard good things..looks creepy